SSUSD approves class size reduction application

Saturday

Sep 15, 2012 at 5:00 PM

The Sierra Sands Unified School Board of Education, at its meeting Thursday, approved the district’s participation in the state-funded K-3 class-size reduction program for 2012-13.Special Projects, Assessment and Technology Coordinator Laura Hickle said the district has participated in the program since 1996.“Through the end of the 2008-09 school year, classes could occasionally exceed 20 pupils without penalty, but in order to receive funding, each class had to maintain an average of 20.44 pupils or less,” she said. “A reduced schedule for classes exceeding 20.44 pupils is applicable, because of state financial issues, for the 2008-09 through 2013-14 school years.”Hickle said there are penalties for exceeding 20.44 pupils of 5 to 30 percent of the $1,071 funding level per student and districts receive no funding for students exceeding 20 per classroom.

By John V. Cianijciani@ridgecrestca.com

The Sierra Sands Unified School Board of Education, at its meeting Thursday, approved the district’s participation in the state-funded K-3 class-size reduction program for 2012-13.Special Projects, Assessment and Technology Coordinator Laura Hickle said the district has participated in the program since 1996.“Through the end of the 2008-09 school year, classes could occasionally exceed 20 pupils without penalty, but in order to receive funding, each class had to maintain an average of 20.44 pupils or less,” she said. “A reduced schedule for classes exceeding 20.44 pupils is applicable, because of state financial issues, for the 2008-09 through 2013-14 school years.”Hickle said there are penalties for exceeding 20.44 pupils of 5 to 30 percent of the $1,071 funding level per student and districts receive no funding for students exceeding 20 per classroom. “These penalties are offset by reductions in required staffing,” she said. She said Sierra Sands generated $839,321 in class-size-reduction funding in 2011-12, and initial calculations indicate that approximately $877,149 will be generated through the implementation of 58 Option 1 classes in 2012-13.Boardmember Kurt Rockwell asked if the expected increase in CSR funding is based on increased enrollment.“We’re at about the same number of students,” Superintendent Joanna Rummer. “One of the factors is the transitional-kindergarten classroom. Another is where students are locating. We had a couple of classes that have been smaller, so we had some accommodations.”